What negative habits can a dog pick up from a human?

Living with a dog has various effects, but it is our behavior that influences what our four-legged friend learns. We often notice and say that a dog resembles its owner, but unfortunately, they most often adopt the negative traits.

How do we influence a dog's behavior?

When we build mutual trust with a dog, our influence on it is indispensable. The interaction between a dog and its owner is an interspecies interaction. What we consider pleasant, a dog may perceive differently. Over the years, dog behavior has undergone a drastic change. They have become gentler and have undergone selection aimed at reducing the intensity of aggressive behaviors in contact with humans. It should be noted that some dogs have strong predispositions to fighting or hunting, and such dogs will never be completely gentle and submissive. Likewise, dogs are very sensitive to human signals, i.e., gestures. Read also: Welcome home, little dog

What other factors influence dog behavior?

Early socialization of a puppy and teaching proper patterns helps eliminate inappropriate behaviors. It is then necessary to ensure constant contact, if possible, with as many unknown people as possible. The breeder should also provide the puppy with many completely new stimuli that can fully introduce the four-legged friend to life among humans. The leash is another factor that changes a dog's behavior. They have limited freedom of movement, playing with other dogs is also limited – they cannot explore the world as much as they would like. However, walking a dog off-leash is risky – we don't know how its behavior will change, whether it will chase something, etc. The very fact that a dog is restrained prevents it from getting to know other dogs – research results have clearly shown that they communicate less with each other, which is caused by the leash. This does not mean that we should give up leashes! Dogs were also once undomesticated and are said to be descendants of wolves, so a leash provides us with control and the ability to domesticate the animal.

A toy with a rope is a perfect gift for our companion.

How to manage a dog?

Firmness, patience, and consistency will certainly make working with a dog easier. We should dictate the terms in the pack, not the dog, and remember that our four-legged friend is constantly observing us. We must properly interpret the dog's behavior, because it is only our fault that the dog acquires inappropriate behaviors. From the very beginning, boundaries must be set and worked on to manage the dog. It is necessary to establish where the dog will sleep, that it cannot lie on our bed, that it will not steal food from the table – it is our role to teach it this.

How to teach a dog not to pull on the leash?

A dog pulls on the leash due to many factors:

• excitement,
• not adjusting to the dog's pace (active dogs will not walk politely paw by paw),
• lack of trust in us, or not having a special bond with the dog, and the surrounding world interests it more,
• sudden fascination with a passing dog, child, person, smell,
• lack of obedience training,
• insufficient physical activity.

The biggest tip – don't let the dog go where it pulls. For me, the method that worked was to stand still like a rock when Jake (my dog) started pulling. I waited until he calmed down and the walk continued. And so, every time, until it worked. My dad used a method with his setter that he heard from the vet – it involves quickly changing the direction of the walk. The dog wants to go left? We go right, and so on. You shouldn't allow a situation where the dog controls our walk – this way, with consistent action, I easily go for walks with my dog, as do my parents. Also, when the dog calmed down, in my case, treats worked every time I gave him a piece of bone as a reward.

How many times a day should you feed a dog?

My dog has a diet tailored by a veterinarian. Generally, the most important thing is never to feed the dog before a walk or play. This avoids the possibility of gastric torsion. Jake, as a puppy, ate up to 6 meals a day; I introduced a plan that gave him a tailored daily rhythm. Dogs, surprisingly, love routine and feel safer. Currently, with my six-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, I feed him twice a day – in the morning and in the evening. I place a measured portion in his bowl, and he eats whatever I give him without any problem. Feeding the dog snacks is unfortunately done by the children, but I teach them not to do it, for the sake of our family member's health. Just like with us – snacking is a bad habit, although I sometimes catch myself throwing something into his bowl when I finish eating, which I also need to work on.

How to play with a dog?

Dogs love playing with their owners, no matter what activity it is. I first observed what my dog enjoyed more – whether it was fetching, pulling all sorts of ropes, or perhaps digging, or maybe chasing a frisbee. At home, Jake loves hiding his soft toys and finding them, and he also chases a plush ball wherever I throw it. Playing with a dog doesn't have to be boring – there are many interesting options where we can play as a whole family.

Such a squeaky toy stimulates the dog to act and also draws its attention.

Remember that for a dog to listen to us, discipline and work with the dog are needed to minimize negative behaviors that may appear during the upbringing of our four-legged friend. Read also: How to build trust between a dog and a human?